Fading
by Carol3059
Summary: Sam and Dean investigate when people start dying without causes, but the thing doing it catches up to Dean before they can figure it out.
1. Chapter 1

Note: This is sort of a rewrite of a story that I posted a while ago. I only posted the first chapter, and it wasn't very good. Plus I didn't really have time to write it then. This is set in season three. 

Don't own anything.

--------------------------------

Sam stepped around the table and sighed. Another morgue. Another dead body as a result of what happened. He pulled back the sheet and looked over the young man before him.

They had come here when he had found reports in this town of a string of deaths without an apparent cause. Although he did find a connection to a small bar on the outskirts of town. Dean was actually checking that out now, and he had gotten stuck on morgue duty.

He wasn't sure why he was here, anyway. He had read the autopsy report. The guy had nothing wrong with him. He had just dropped dead. But he was here, examining a dead body anyway.

It wasn't until he opened the guys eyes that he noticed anything odd. They were faded out, almost completely white. Sam frowned, but it didn't really tell him much. He still needed to find out how this thing killed.

He sighed and stood up straight. He should go talk to Dean. His brother was in the place this thing frequents and alone. Even though he and Dean had split to investigate a lot of times before, it still made him nervous. Things tended to happen more often when they weren't together.

------------------------------

Dean looked around the tiny bar before focusing his attention back on the pretty bar tender that was looking at him. He gave her a smile. She had been talking to him for a while now.

"You know," she leaned forward, "I get off in fifteen minutes." He grinned at her, and nodded, leaning back to take a drink.

Fifteen minutes later, they were out of the door. Dean waited until they turned down a deserted alley before he reached around and pulled out the colt.

"You know I don't get it." He said, and she turned to him, smile still in place. "You guys always seem to think I'm some sort of idiot that'll follow a pretty girl anywhere." He raised the colt, but her smile didn't falter.

"You know, the last demon chick who thought that about me? Dead." Her smile grew. Dean smiled back at her. "Will you still be smiling when I send you to hell for good?"

"Will you?" Dean grunted and cursed when someone tackled him from the side. The gun went flying and Dean landed hard on the ground. He cursed again when he looked up to meet the black eyes of another one of these things. He cursed again. _Okay, so apparently I am an idiot._ He rolled his eyes.

He cursed again when he felt a force dragging him to his feet, and the girl was standing in front of him.

"Should have just shot me, huh?" And then she leaned in and kissed him. And then there was fire. Fire burning down to his insides. His vision whited out and an agony invaded his body that was almost unbearable.

He wasn't sure how long it lasted. Probably just a few seconds, but it seemed a whole hell of a lot longer to him. He was dieing. This was how he was going to die.

But, just when the pain was peaking, she broke the kiss and pulled away. Before he could even stumble to the ground, she screamed and threw her head back and the demon left the girls body.

Dean blinked, his vision a little hazy, and looked around. The other demon was dead, a bullet hole in it's head, and Sam was standing a few feet away, holding the colt.

"Dean, you okay?" Sam asked, coming over to him. Dean opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He looked up at Sam. His head was pounding, he felt like he had been run over by a truck.

He opened his mouth one more time, looking at Sam, before he collapsed backwards on the pavement.

----------------------------

Sam finished laying the salt lines before going back over to check on Dean, who was still unconscious in one of the beds.

He seemed fine, just unconscious. Sam was just grateful that he got there when he did. These demons were literally sucking the life out of people. The one that had gotten away was probably pretty pissed at them, too.

"You'd think I'd get used to it." Sam said to his unconscious brother. Dean attracted near death experiences and crazy demon chicks like a magnet.

This demon was going to be hard to find now too. Unless of course it came after them, which Sam needed to stop from happening. At least until Dean was conscious.

Sam checked his brothers pulse and breathing one more time before he settled back on the bed next to him to watch over him. He definitely would not be sleeping until he was sure that Dean was okay.

He had to make sure that what she did to his brother hadn't caused any major damage. Sam may have stopped Dean from dying, but who knows what damage the chick could have done before he had stopped it.

Sam shifted on the bed to get more comfortable and settled down to wait.

-------------------------------

It wasn't until several hours later when Dean shifted in his sleep and brought his hands up to his head. Sam sat up.

"Dean, thank god. Are you okay?" Dean held up a finger, asking for a minute. He sat up himself after several and looked around the room.

"You alright?" Sam asked again. Dean looked over at him and opened his mouth to answer, and nothing came out. Dean frowned and opened his mouth again, forming words, but not saying anything.

He jumped from the bed, looking slightly panicked now. He met Sam's eyes and Sam could see the panic there when he opened his mouth once again. Sam got the message and stood up himself.

"This isn't a joke, right?" Dean shook his head, a flash of anger crossing his eyes before panic settled there again. Sam stared at his brother for several seconds, dumfounded.

"Oh, shit."


	2. Chapter 2

Sam watched Dean as he stabbed at his breakfast with his fork. He glared down at his plate. 

"It could be worse." Sam said. _It still could get worse_. Dean glared at him, and Sam sighed.

He had spent a few hours after Dean had woken up trying to find out things about what was happening. Trying to find out if something else would happen. Finally he had called Bobby and the man had promised that he would call back if he found anything.

He wasn't actually expecting much, though. He was hoping, yes, but he knew that more than likely the only way to break whatever this demon did to Dean was to kill the thing.

Sam looked up as the waitress came, and watched his brother smile up at her. Sam rolled his eyes at the look on the waitress' face. How the hell could Dean attract a woman like that when he couldn't even say anything?

They paid and got out of there. Sam was a little shocked when Dean threw him the keys. Sam looked up at him, but Dean only shrugged and got in the passenger seat.

Dean stared out the window as he drove back towards the motel. After a few minutes Dean leaned in and turned on the radio. He fiddled with it for a moment before letting it settle on one station. Sam saw him frown as he listened to the song playing and then he suddenly snapped the radio off.

Sam caught Dean's eyes as he leaned back again and he could see fury radiating there. Sam frowned himself.

"You alright?" He asked, and then winced when Dean turned a glare on him. "Right." He said.

Sam found out pretty fast that Dean could be just as annoying if he wanted to be when he couldn't talk as he could be when he was able to.

He sat tapping a pen on the table while Sam looked on the laptop for something about this demon. Sam was sure that this had nothing to do with boredom, that he was just trying to find ways to annoy Sam. And since he couldn't speak, he was finding other ways to make noises.

Sam looked up and glared at his brother when he started tapping out an offbeat tune with his fingers. When Dean saw the glare, he gave Sam a questioning, innocent look, before a small grin came on his face. He held up his hands, his smile growing and got up from the table.

--------------------

Dean wasn't really trying to annoy Sam, at least he hadn't been at first. He was just nervous, and scared really. Scared that this wasn't all, that something else would be happening.

He had started feeling it, started to feel the change. He had started feeling it earlier in the diner, actually. There was this ringing in his ears that wouldn't really go away. Well, most of the time it was fading in the background, but it was getting louder, and what that meant scared the hell out of him.

He laid back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He was feeling a little bit tired too, which was odd because he had slept. It was wariness, though. Like he was a little on the lethargic side.

He did not want to go to sleep, though. What if he woke up and lost something else? It was a little stupid. If he was going to lose it, it probably wouldn't matter if he was awake or not.

Still, he couldn't keep the irrational thought out of his head. He couldn't help the thought that it might not be so irrational, that if he didn't go to sleep that he would be okay.

He sat up abruptly when his eyelids drooped a little and rubbed a hand over his face. He frowned when the ringing in his ears came back and a little louder. Yeah, it probably wouldn't matter if he was asleep or not.

--------------------

Sam watched as his brother fought off sleep for several hours. He had suggested on several occasions that Dean get some sleep while he looked at all of this. Finally after a couple hours, Dean finally fell asleep, sitting up at the headboard of his bed.

Sam sighed and shifted his brother into a more comfortable position before he went back to research.

It was about two hours later when Sam's eyes were burning and he was pretty frustrated from not being able to find anything when his cell phone rang. He looked at the display briefly before answering.

"Hey, Bobby." He said, relieved to hear from the man.

"Hey, Sam." Sam sat up straight, suddenly very awake at the tone of Bobby's voice.

"Did you find something?"

"Yeah, I did." Sam heard Bobby sigh warily through the phone.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Bobby didn't answer for a minute. "Bobby, just tell me. Please."

"Alright. Look, this demon, I found some text on it. And mostly it was on the people who died when they met it. But there was one documenting someone who had broke the curse before it finished, like you said you did with Dean."

"And?" Sam asked, feeling apprehension welling up.

"This curse? The way it works, it shuts a person down basically. Shuts down basically all of your bodily functions, one at a time. Starting with things like speech, hearing, stuff like that, until it reaches deeper. And then..." Bobby let the sentence hang, but Sam got the picture. If he didn't find this demon, Dean was going to die and soon.

---------------------

Dean woke up with a start and rubbed at his eyes before opening them. When he remembered exactly why he had been afraid to go to sleep last night, panic welled in him and he stood up, looking around the room. It was empty, but there was a note from his brother, saying he was going to grab some food.

And then he heard it, there was that ringing in his ears again and he faintly heard a car starting outside. He sighed in relief, and sat back down.

He went over to the TV and turned it on, not really caring what was on, but just needing the reassurance that he still could actually hear it.

It was only a few minutes later when Sam came through the door, carrying take out. He glanced briefly at Dean and went over quickly to the table and sat the takeout containers down. Dean watched his brother as he took out the food and told Dean what he had gotten. Dean could practically feel the nervousness radiating off of Sam.

He stood up and went over to Sam. He grabbed his brothers arm and forced him to look at him, and Dean felt a shiver of fear at the terror in Sam's eyes. Dean may not have been able to talk, but he put the question clearly in his eyes, and he knew Sam would get it.

"Dean, I don't-" Dean shook his head, and tugged Sam's shirt once, sending him a glare. _Don't lie to me._

Sam sighed and sat down, Dean following suit. He suppressed a frown when the sounds from the TV faded slightly before coming back. He shook the thoughts away and tried to focus on his brother.

"Bobby called." Sam said, not meeting Dean's eyes. "He said that when that demon kissed you, it cursed you. He said that this was only the start. He said that it would keep going until..." Sam stopped and looked up finally to meet Dean's eyes, and Dean could see the fear there, the same fear that he had seen when Sam had found out about Dean's deal to sell his soul.

He got it, he could fill in the blanks that Sam had left out. He was going to die. Not in a year from now, but probably in a few days from now.

He frowned and closed his eyes when the noises from the room faded in and out again, only this time when they came back, they weren't as strong.

He was going to die, but first he was going to lose everything


	3. Chapter 3

Note: Sorry for the longer than usual wait, guys. I've just been working lots of overtime since someone else is on vacation. This chapter was kind of hard to make long, to write even. There's basically no dialogue at all. 

Dean was pissed. Well, he was actually more than pissed. He was furious. It hadn't taken long after he found that he could no longer speak for his hearing to start to go as well.

The thing was, Sam knew that Dean was furious, but he also knew that he was terrified as well. Despite the fact that Dean hid what when he was scared very well, Sam knew him. Sam knew him better than anyone, maybe even better than himself.

He had known all along that, despite his brothers protests, he was terrified of what the deal he had made meant. That he was terrified that if they didn't find away out of it, he would be going to hell in less than a year.

So, Sam knew that Dean was terrified now. It wasn't just that he would die if they didn't find this demon, though. Sam knew that. He knew that Dean was terrified of dieing this way even more than the thought of simply dieing.

Sam knew that Dean had never been suicidal, but he had always known, even before the deal, what Dean was willing to give up not just for him but for complete strangers too.

This was different, though. Dean had been resigned to his fate after he made the deal because it meant that Sam would live. Dean would have been resigned to die on the battlefield, so to speak, if it meant that he was going out with a fight, probably saving someone in the process.

But this slow process of simply fading away, losing everything and taking away the control he did have on his life terrified him more than anything.

Oh, Sam knew that Dean was afraid of death, everyone was and Dean was no different in that capacity. But Sam also knew the one thing that Dean feared more than death and that was losing control. Well, besides being alone.

Sam knew that this curse could possibly make both of those fears a reality too. Sam would never leave him, but how long before Dean didn't even know he was there? What would go next after his hearing?

Sam shook his head and looked over at Dean, who was currently sleeping in one of the twin motel beds. That was another thing, Dean slept a hell of a lot more since this had went down.

Sam didn't know how to help his brother, either. There were no signs of this demon and Bobby hadn't found anything. It seemed this thing was laying low for the moment. Then again, maybe not. After all, Sam couldn't really go searching out every single unexplained death in the country.

He hated this, hated this more than Dean's stupid deal. At least with the deal, he had some time. And a vague solution to that. Even if teaming with Ruby would likely end in no good. At least he had some sort of hope that he could break that.

None of that would matter, though, if he didn't break this curse. And he didn't have six months to break it, either.

------------------------------

Dean woke up slowly. He laid there on the bed for several minutes with his eyes closed. Despite the fact that he was pretty sure that he had been asleep for some time now, he still felt tired, lethargic.

He struggled to prop himself up on his elbows and opened his eyes. He had to close them immediately when the room went out of focus and spun slightly, though.

Fear rose up and he squeezed his eyes shut, praying that this wasn't happening. His eyes snapped open again when he felt the bed dip and a hand on his knee. He met Sam's eyes and his felt his own widen in horror when he realized that Sam was talking, that he had probably been talking for a little bit, but Dean couldn't hear him.

Dean's breath hitched and he jumped up off the bed, wavering slightly on his feet when he did. He felt Sam grab his shoulder to steady him, but Dean shoved him off and turned to his brother, eyes still wide.

He saw Sam's lips moving, and he shook his head, anger welling up along with fear. Sam seemed to get it after a minute, though, because he stopped talking and put his hands on Dean's shoulders.

Dean's anger rose at the look in Sam's eyes, at the conveyed message that Dean could read because he knew Sam better than anyone. Probably better than himself.

He saw the determination and worry there. He knew what Sam would be saying if he could hear his brother right now. Knew that he would be spouting false assurances that Dean was pretty sure that Sam didn't really believe.

Dean conveyed his own message in his own way as well. He shoved off Sam's arm with a glare and retreated into the bathroom, closing the door.

He sighed when he got in there and leaned against the sink. Anger seeped out of him and was replaced by the terror that had been a constant since he had woken up two nights ago and found he could no longer speak.

It wasn't the dieing that terrified him so much, it was more the fact that soon he wouldn't have anything. That he probably wouldn't be able to do anything but lie in bed and wait to die.

He was afraid of death, of course. He figured everyone was. But he was more than willing to die for Sam, it was why he had made the deal in the first place. He had always known that Sam just wasn't meant to die before him.

He had always thought that he would go out fighting, though. Even if it was hellhounds just six months from now.

He used to think that he would die on the battlefield, or that's what he thought of it as. Probably either in front of Sam or his dad.

His dad was dead, now. The man had actually died for him, and Dean had known no better way to honor that than making that deal for Sam. It was his job to look after Sam, after all. It had always been his job, ever since he had carried his baby brother out of the fire that had killed their mom and taken away any chance at normal that either of them might have had.

But what now? Now he wasn't just going to die. He was going to fade away slowly in front of his baby brothers eyes. Hell, he probably wouldn't even know Sam was there in a day or two.

Dean sighed and looked up at the mirror. He fought down rising panic again when his vision blurred for a second.

Standing up straighter, he went to the door and opened it. As soon as he walked out into the room, Sam jumped up from where he had been sitting on one of the beds and Dean gave him a small smile that he hoped wasn't to weak.

He went over to the other bed and sat down. He scooted up until his back was resting against the headboard. He kept his eyes focused on his brother, because as much as he hated that concerned, sort of panicked look in Sam's eyes, he wasn't sure if he would be able to see it soon even if he wanted to.

-----------------------

Sam sat at his computer, not really focusing on what was on the screen. He glanced over at his brother.

Dean had fallen asleep again shortly after coming out of the bathroom, still sitting up against the headboard. He hadn't even woken up when Sam had maneuvered him into a more comfortable position.

The thought that Dean couldn't hear him anymore, that he had lost that as well, kept ringing through his head. He wondered what would happen next time Dean woke up.

Sam knew what Dean was afraid would go next, and he knew what Dean had been thinking. Sam bit his lip and stared at his brother.

He needed to find answers but this was getting him nowhere, and he knew that Dean needed him there, too. Bobby had promised to call as soon as he found anything. If anyone could, it was Bobby.

Sam got up from the table a few seconds later and went over to Dean's bed and laid down carefully beside him. He wanted Dean to know he was there. If Dean woke up and found out that he had lost something else, like his sight along with his hearing he wanted Dean to know he was there, that he wasn't alone.

---------------------------

Dean woke up and this time knew he had been asleep for a long while. He took a deep breath before opening his eyes and almost actually cried in relief when he realized he could still see, even if everything was a little blurry.

Looking to his side, he realized that Sam was asleep beside him in the bed. Normally he would have pushed Sam to the floor for that one. He and Sam hadn't slept in the same bed since before Sam had gone to college and that had been forced on them because of lack of funds. He didn't move, though this time.

He knew what Sam was doing, knew that his brother was just trying to make sure that he knew he wasn't alone. He was actually grateful to Sam, not that he would ever admit it. He was terrified of waking up and not being connected at all to what was around him.

He shifted a little bit closer to Sam just in case, and his eyes fluttered closed again against his will.

-----------------------

Sam woke with a start to the sound of his phone ringing. He glanced briefly to Dean, still passed out next to him before he reached over and opened his phone.

"Hello." He said a little blearily, rubbing a hand across his eyes.

"Sam." Bobby's voice filtered through.

"Bobby." Sam sat up, completely alert now. "You found something?"

"I think I found a way to get your demon."

Note: I know this is fast paced, but I never planned on this story to be an epic. Besides, I sort of figured that if Bobby or Sam couldn't find something in two days, then there would be nothing to find.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, so he was freaked out, and he wasn't sure what to do. Waking up to realize that you couldn't even see was something that he was sure would freak anyone out, though.

Despite the fact that he had always been one to hide how freaked out he was when it came to Sam, he couldn't really do that this time. And, truthfully, he really didn't want to this time.

Waking up to realize that he could no longer see or hear was by far the most terrifying experience of his life. Well, besides holding Sam's limp body in his hands and knowing that he was dead.

This was about him, though. And the instant terror when he had opened his eyes and saw nothing but black had overwhelmed him and he had lost his senses for a moment, and actually almost went into a panic attack, which never happened.

He didn't feel grounded, that was the real problem. He couldn't see or hear or speak, he could only feel. So, he spent a few minutes after waking up laying still in bed gripping the sheets under him and trying to get his breathing back under control.

Despite the fact that he couldn't see anyways, he still squeezed his eyes shut. It was stupid, he knew that, but for some reason it was less frightening that way. Like he could pretend that if he opened his eyes, he would be able to see the room around him.

He felt the bed springs moving, felt a hand rest on his shoulder, and he knew it was Sam. Just knew, and he latched on to that. Forgetting the fact that he was supposed to be the stoic one in the face of anything. He actually reached out and gripped Sam's arm and didn't let go.

His breathing evened out after a few minutes, Sam keeping him grounded.

----------------------

Sam sat up in bed, looking around the room a little blearily. He had fallen asleep again a few hours after Bobby had called, after sitting and thinking and watching Dean sleep for what seemed like forever.

Something had woken him up, though. When his eyes landed on Dean, though, he knew what. His brother was lying rigid on the bed next to him, hands curled in the sheets beneath him and breathing in short gasps like he was about to have a panic attack.

Sam took in the fact that Dean's eyes were squeezed shut and he knew what was happening. What had happened. After only a moment of indecision, he did the only thing that he could do and reached out to put a hand on Dean's shoulder.

It was a moment later when Dean surprised Sam by reaching out and latching hold of his arm like a lifeline, which he supposed that's what it was.

Sam let out a relieved breath when Dean's breathing evened out, but he didn't let go. Guilt settled in his stomach for a moment when he thought of the plan that Bobby had laid out. He didn't like it.

He hoped that Dean would fall asleep again before he had to carry it out. Then again, that might be worse.

The worse part was that he had had to wait until this happened. Or at least that was what Bobby had said. Either way, he hated this.

There was a huge chance that Dean could come out of this and he would be gone for good. He had laid down the law on that one, though.

Bobby had come up with one plan, but Sam had shot that one down. These demons weren't stupid. They probably knew there was no way that Sam would leave Dean like this, not for anything.

There was no way he would leave Dean even if that plan had been smarter. When it came down to it choosing between getting himself in danger and staying or being safe and leaving, well, it wasn't really a choice.

Dean had given up his soul to save Sam, and if given the choice himself, he would do the same thing. He knew that, had known that for a long time now.

When it came down to it, Dean grounded him, just like he was hoping he was doing for Dean now.

----------------

Dean lay there for several minutes before he realized that he had a new problem and he was going to have to get up soon.

When he sat up, he knew that Sam had sat up next to him, but he reached around and pushed Sam back down. It was really the only way that he could relay the message. He wasn't a complete invalid.

He pushed on Sam's shoulder a little to get the message across before he got up carefully and kept his hands out.

It wasn't that hard to find the bathroom, despite the fact that he couldn't see. The room was pretty small, and he had went pretty slow.

He managed to use the bathroom without any trouble, but it was when he got out of the bathroom that he caught something on the floor and face planted.

------------------

Sam got the message when Dean pushed him back down on the bed. He caught the expression on Dean's face. He understood what Dean wanted.

Well, what he needed. Dean had never really been anything but self reliant. He knew how much Dean hated this.

He watched and forced himself not to jump up to help as Dean made his way slowly to the bathroom. He didn't really need to worry, though. It wasn't like the room was big or anything.

It wasn't until Dean got out of the bathroom that his foot caught in one of their discarded bags and he face planted.

Sam jumped up as Dean was sitting up and put a hand on his shoulder to help him. Dean jerked out of his grip, though, and Sam winced when he cracked his head on the wall behind him.

He caught the look on Dean's face. The frustration and anger, and below that fear. Sam wished desperately that he could tell Dean that he was going to fix this, that it was going to be okay.

For once, he couldn't, though. He couldn't talk to Dean. Couldn't offer support like that. There was only one way that he could.

Reaching out, he gripped both of Dean's shoulders in his. He may not be able to talk to Dean, but he hoped he could relay the message that he wasn't leaving, and he wasn't giving up.

A moment later and Dean's shoulders sort of slumped under Sam's grip and he let Sam help him up.

Sam got him back in the bed and he laid down next to him again. He knew that Dean was angry, but he also knew he wasn't angry with Sam. He was angry with himself for the fact that he couldn't even walk around the room without falling.

Again, Sam wished he could talk to Dean, but he settled for keeping a hand on Dean's shoulder, keeping them connected so at least Dean would know he wasn't alone.

--------------------

Sam was resting against the headboard, eyes closed. Dean was asleep again next to him. Sam's eyes snapped open, though, when the door to the motel room banged open and a woman walked inside.

Sam jumped up and he knew that he had woken Dean up with the fast movement. He watched the woman. Her eyes turned black and Sam found himself flying into the nearest wall. He groaned when his head bounced off the wall and then the floor.

He blinked, trying to clear his vision but before he could even think about getting up, a boot came down on his head and his vision went completely dark.

--------------------

Dean felt it when Sam jumped up next to him. He may not have had all of his senses at the moment, but he had been hunting for more than twenty years. He could feel it, something was wrong.

Problem was, he couldn't do anything about it. He tried to get up from the bed but something slammed him up against the headboard before he could make any leeway.

He couldn't move. It was a few seconds later when he felt the bed dip, and then he felt lips on his and the pain returned.

Note: Wow, never wrote a story like this. It's hard to make a chapter long with virtually no dialogue. Next chapter's my last. I'll get it out soon. Maybe Monday. 


	5. Chapter 5

Note: Here you guys are, last chapter. Hope you like it.

Dean was pretty sure that he had had this dream before. The dream of what hell might be like. All fire and brimstone and all that other stuff that they talk about on movies.

He came up slowly from it and opened his eyes. For a second, all he saw was darkness and that shouldn't be a surprise, should it? He had been in darkness before.

It was a moment later when he realized that he could see vague outlines in the darkness, and that he wasn't blind, that the lights were just off.

He sat up and looked around the room, actually looked. He almost cried in relief when he realized that he could actually see.

Looking to his side, he found his brother sprawled out on the bed next to him. He frowned, trying to remember what had happened before he had blacked out.

His eyes widened slightly in surprise when he realized that he recognized this room and it wasn't the motel that he and Sam had been staying at when this had all begun.

He got up carefully, trying not to disturb Sam, and walked into the next room, closing the door softly on his way out. He wasn't surprised to see Bobby sitting at the table in the next room. Bobby's head snapped up at his entrance and he smiled at Dean.

"How're you feelin', kid?" He asked. Dean shrugged.

"I feel fine." He said, sitting across from Bobby. "What the hell happened?" Bobby smiled wider.

"Well, we figured out that this demon would be coming back for you and set up a trap."

"Why would it come back for me?" Dean asked. "From what Sam said, I was already dieing."

"Well, according to some documents that I found, this demon basically sucks the life out of people. But Sam interrupted it and apparently that is just as bad for the demon. It opened it's power up to take you, and when it was interrupted, well, I'm not totally sure how it works, but it was basically killing the thing slowly along with you. Sort of like an infection."

"Huh." Dean said, sitting back. Bobby regarded him for a moment.

"Your damn lucky, kid." He said, and Dean nodded, giving a small smile. Bobby patted him on the shoulder on the way to his backyard.

Dean sat there for a moment before getting back up and going back into the other room. He stood there, watching Sam sleep for a minute.

He may not have been able to remember the fight, or been much help, but he did remember what Sam had did for him through all this.

He knew, without Bobby having to tell him that Sam hadn't left him, even when his own life was in danger too.

Dean hesitated for a moment before settling back down on the bed next to Sam. It didn't take long before he started to drift off, the familiar and comforting presence of his brother at his side. Hell, it wasn't a big deal, Sam wouldn't even know that he had woken up.

-------------------

Sam shifted slightly when he felt the bed dip again and Dean get back in. He knew that Dean would deny ever even waking up again if he brought it up, so he wouldn't.

A small smile came to his face as he thought about what this meant, even with that knowledge, though. At least he had helped Dean somewhat through all this.

He let out a sigh, and drifted off again, the familiar and comforting weight of his brother by his side.

Note: I know, short and kind of sappy. I like the sappiness though. 


End file.
